Michael John Caruso (born May 27, 1977) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

who played for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

and Kansas City Royals. Caruso was a prospect for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

drafted out of

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSDH or MSD) is a public high school in Parkland, Florida, United States. It was established in 1990 and is part of the Broward County Public Schools district. It is named after the writer Marjory Stoneman D ...

in Parkland, Florida in 1996. During the season, Caruso was one of six prospects (along with

Keith Foulke Keith Charles Foulke ( ; born October 19, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A graduate of Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, Foulke attended Galveston College and Lewis–Clark State College. Between 1997 and 2008, h ...

Bob Howry Bobby Dean Howry (born August 4, 1973) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Early life Howry attended, and played baseball at Deer Valley High School in Arizona, then he attended McNeese State University and was drafted b ...

Lorenzo Barceló Lorenzo Barceló (born August 10, 1977) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He played for the Chicago White Sox from –. Career MLB career San Francisco Giants Barceló was originally signed by the San Francisco Gia ...

Ken Vining Kenneth Edward Vining (born December 5, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Vining played for the Chicago White Sox during the 2001 season. In 8 career games, he posted an 0–0 record and an earned run average (ERA) of 17.55. ...

, and Brian Manning) traded to the White Sox in exchange for

Wilson Álvarez Wilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor (born March 24, 1970) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher. During a thirteen-year baseball career, he pitched for the Texas Rangers, ...

Danny Darwin Danny Wayne Darwin (born October 25, 1955), known as the "Bonham Bullet" and "Dr. Death", is an American professional baseball pitcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, ...

, and Roberto Hernández in what became known as the

White Flag Trade The White Flag Trade was a trade made between two Major League Baseball teams in 1997. On July 31, 1997, the Chicago White Sox traded three veteran pitchers to the San Francisco Giants for six minor league players. At the time, the trade was mali ...

. In 1998, Caruso was called up by the White Sox at the age of 20 to become their everyday starting shortstop. He finished third in the

Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The a ...

balloting. However, his career in Chicago only lasted two years. He reemerged back into the Major Leagues in 2002 with the Royals, but only played in 12 games. After two years out of the game, Caruso began a comeback attempt. He played the 2007 season for the

South Georgia Peanuts The South Georgia Peanuts were a short-lived minor league baseball team, based in Albany, Georgia in 2007. The team's home games were held at Paul Eames Sports Complex. History The Peanuts played in the South Coast League and won the league tit ...

of the independent

South Coast League The South Coast League of Professional Baseball (SCL), based in Conyers, Georgia, was a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Southeastern United States. It operated in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseba ...

. However, the South Coast League only lasted one season before suspending operations. He then played for the

Joliet JackHammers The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, in the United States. The JackHammers were a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is ...

References

External links

Mike Caruso
at Baseball Almanac 1977 births Living people Chicago White Sox players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball shortstops Sportspeople from Queens, New York Baseball players from New York City Charlotte Knights players Bellingham Giants players Winston-Salem Warthogs players San Jose Giants players Durham Bulls players Chattanooga Lookouts players Omaha Royals players Joliet JackHammers players Long Island Ducks players Newark Bears players Lancaster Barnstormers players South Georgia Peanuts players {{US-baseball-shortstop-stub